The Carmelo Trade: A Knicks Fan’s Perspective

Carmelo Anthony (left) and Chauncey Billups at their inaugural Knicks press conference. Photo from Web.

“So the Denver deal’s finalized. It looks like we’re giving up the four starters, Anthony Randolph, Curry’s expiring contract, cash and three picks.” That was the exact text message I received from my brother last Monday evening about the blockbuster trade between the New York Knicks and the Denver Nuggets. In return, the Knicks obtained Carmelo Anthony, Chauncey Billups and four throw-in players. Reading the text immediately brought back memories of the Knicks’ past decade of historically poor decision-making, gross overspending, impulsive action and disregard for the future. They were Isaiah Thomas memories.

For those of you unfamiliar with Thomas, he was hired by Knicks owner James Dolan to be President of Basketball Operations and General Manager in 2003. He became the guy in charge of signing new players, making trades and managing draft picks. To call the job that Thomas did “bad” would be deeply offensive to anything I have ever called “bad.” From the 2003-2004 season through the 2009-2010 campaign, the Knicks posted an awful 212-362 record, winning an embarrassing 37% of their games. What’s more impressive (and why this all relates to the Nuggets deal) is the way Thomas managed to accomplish this.

Making egregious trades was Isaiah’s specialty. Acquiring overrated “stars” with suspect characteristics gave him a baffling sense of self-satisfaction. A trade to acquire a cancerous Stephon Marbury, one for an agitated and uninspired Steve Francis and an epically bad decision to acquire Eddy Curry for three players and two draft picks. Those picks later became Lamarcus Aldridge and Joakim Noah, highlighting the blunders of his franchise-ruining tenure.

This is why I, along with many other longtime Knickerbockers, was hesitant to accept a deal of this magnitude. We’ve been conditioned to accept every move that the organization makes to be a mistake; a mistake that may not rear its ugly head immediately, but one that a year or two down the line made me ask myself, “How did I not see this coming?” I needed to think long and hard about the repercussions of this one.

The first thing that stuck out about the trade was the confidence that fans had built with players Wilson Chandler and Danilo Gallinari. These guys were supposed to be the face of the future. They had weathered the past couple of awful years and were in prime position to be consistent role players on a contending team. With only three combined seasons of significant play, the duo was pitching in about thirty-two points and twelve boards per night on the season. At ages twenty-three and twenty-two respectively, their career numbers are sure to increase. Off the court, they had dealt with the drama of the organization without complaining, and in fact, they aided in making the Knicks fun to watch again. It just felt like they were being traded right before they got their chance to play for the title they’d worked for.

Then we have Raymond Felton and Timofey Mozgov, the other two starters that were traded. Felton is playing the best basketball of his life and was debatably the 3rd best point guard in the East behind Derrick Rose and Rajon Rondo this season. He had spunk and had no problem taking charge of the team under the bright New York lights. Mozgov was more of a project—an undrafted seven-footer with mediocre athleticism. He played a decent amount of minutes due to the Knicks’ lack of another true center and was able to play defense in the post fairly well.

I hope at this point you can see (without me even touching on the departure of the three draft picks or six million dollars) why I started off questioning the decision to split up with all of these important parts. But as I let the trade develop in my mind and watched their first game together against the Milwaukee Bucks, I started to see the big picture. Sports guru Bill Simmons has often stated that, in basketball, “You always trade away four quarters for a dollar.”

At the heart of it, Mozgov is a below-average center with a pedestrian future. He’s only posted double-digit points or double-digit rebounds once on the season, and he has a fairly low ceiling. Giving up Felton when he’s playing so well seems foolish, but you have to realize that he was only a product of the offense he ran: A fast paced run-and-gun scheme that gave him free range to abuse his below-average three point shooting (32%). Insert any mediocre Eastern Conference guard in the same role and he will produce similar results. I don’t take back that I’m going to miss Gallo and Chandler, but they do have an outside shot of not taking that next step and remaining 16/6/3 guys their whole careers.

The NBA has become a league of superstars. The thirteen All-Star selections that now play in the East are on a total of six teams: Miami, Boston, Chicago, Orlando, Atlanta and New York. Now, tell me the top six teams in the Eastern Conference. If you guessed those six, you’d be correct. A chance at acquiring one of these bona fide superstars is something a team can’t pass up if it wants to thrive.

I’m not even going to get into the type of basketball player Carmelo is. Fans know he’s dominant offensively and has the ability to take over a game with his scoring. He’s in the top three on my list of “Guys I Want with the Ball in Their Hands in the Fourth Quarter.” Yet, more appealing than his on-the-court prowess is the fact that he really wants to win. He had expressed that his “ultimate dream” was to play in New York and that his goal is to win a ring. He’s the type of player willing to accept challenges and who would love to put a dagger in the inflated ego that has formed down in South Beach.

Billups is similar in this way and, though eight years older, he brings a strong veteran presence, a winning pedigree (with a championship ring on his finger) and the grit to prove that he’s more than just Melo’s throw-in. I can deal with another year and a half of smart, hard-nosed 16/6 basketball, especially when it’s out of a thirty-four year-old. When the Knicks lose his $14.2 million dollar contract after the 2012 season, they’ll open the door to sign another max-contract superstar in his prime (Chris Paul or Deron Williams, maybe?). Win now, win later. Isn’t that what basketball is all about? The summer of 2012 will be ripe with free agents willing to team up with Amare and Carmelo. If I were one of those guys, New York would surely be atop my list of dream teams.

So, ultimately, I’ve come around. I’m making myself embrace this deal. I’m forcing the bad thoughts out of my head and looking to the future. We’ve gotten out of our abusive relationship with Isaiah Thomas and we’re back to playing the field. “I’ve accepted the trade,” I texted my brother. “See ya in June.” •